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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>gcrplms.info</title> <atom:link href="http://gcrplms.info/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://gcrplms.info</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:24:59 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3</generator> <item> <title>Benefits of Self Planned Travel</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/benefits-of-self-planned-travel,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/benefits-of-self-planned-travel,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 11:39:20 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Adventure Travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Airline Travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Budget Travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Charter Jets]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Travel Planning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Vacation Homes]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=61</guid> <description><![CDATA[The advent of the internet has really speed up and made self-planned travel more pervasive and easier. These days, travel destination, airlines, hotels, car-rental companies and others advertise their product more aggressively and allow the individual travellers to self-plan their own travels. It is an exciting new way to travel that appeals to more and [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> The advent of the internet has really speed up and made self-planned travel more pervasive and easier. These days, travel destination, airlines, hotels, car-rental companies and others advertise their product more aggressively and allow the individual travellers to self-plan their own travels. It is an exciting new way to travel that appeals to more and more people.The most obvious benefit here is the flexibility in the self-planned travel holidays. With this form of travel, you can customize the self-planned travel right down to the last minute details. Things and sights that travel agents avoid can now be included in the programme, allowing travellers to be more targeted in their travel objectives. Travellers can take up more unconventional destinations and activities and include these into their plans. The weirdest combinations are now possible. You can plan a wine tasting tour together with a skiing tour now. Many people interested in this form of self-planned travels, see this flexibility as a great asset.Secondly, with the internet, choices become more varied for the self-planned traveller. Through the internet, travellers actually can have more options for flights, hotel, transport, activities and so forth. Very often, these companies are willing to offer personalize service to secure the business of these form of travellers.The varied choices in travel products and services also mean that there is a high chance of getting the lowest price for the products or service. For example, airlines charge different rates to fly to the same destinations. For the budget conscious self-plan traveller, this lower price range is an important factor. And very often, the travel companies know this price competition is around and are willing to lower their prices or offer special discounts to travellers, resulting in travellers getting higher class products at lower cost.Very often, self-planned travel involve a fair bit of self-drive vacationing. This offers the travellers a great way to alter or change their travel plans at will. If a town appears interesting and full of excitement, travellers might just extend their stay. If someone mention that just a couple of hundred miles down the road is an exciting place of interest, the travellers might just change their original plan and head for this new place of interest. This form of positive change makes the entire self-planned travel programme more meaningful.Next,the group size of the self-planned travel can now be up to the travelling group. There is no more such thing as a minimum size group to travel. Small groups are also very possible for people to travel in.Another key benefit is the improved cultural exchange between the self-planned travellers and the locals. In group tours, extended mingling with the locals are often difficult as time is limited. People are always rushing from destination to destination. But in a self-planned travel programme, travellers can afford to spend more time interacting with the local population, thus gaining more insight into the community. Self-planned travels are often repeated because strong ties are established in previous trips.Travelling in this form of self-planned travel is indeed gaining popularity as the benefits are substantial, especially with the flexibility, ease of planning and also the cultural exchange. But before anyone head into any self-planned travel, it is important to consider some detail planning first. </p><div class="mads-block"></div>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/benefits-of-self-planned-travel,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Ageism In America – Discrimination Against Older People In Health Care</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/ageism-in-america-discrimination-against-older-people-in-health-care,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/ageism-in-america-discrimination-against-older-people-in-health-care,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 10:31:08 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Health Care]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=59</guid> <description><![CDATA[Older people are the back bone of our society, yet they are frequently treated poorly and suffer discrimination when seeking health care. Many older Americans receive second and third class health care because health care professionals are either not trained to care for the needs of older people, or the provider doesn’t feel that the [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Older people are the back bone of our society, yet they are frequently treated poorly and suffer discrimination when seeking health care. Many older Americans receive second and third class health care because health care professionals are either not trained to care for the needs of older people, or the provider doesn’t feel that the older person’s health is important enough to warrant better care. Ageism against older Americans is a widespread practice that affects over 50% of American households with older people.When a person reaches the age of sixty, health services are sometimes based on a person’s age. For example, some health care professionals decide not to run certain tests or prescribe certain medications and treatments because they don’t feel that the tests will be beneficial, or that the medication or treatment will work for the patient. Another reason that health care professionals hesitate to provide in-depth care to older people is because they don’t want to put the person though the procedure with the assumption that it would be too tiresome or too hard on the patient. If asked, older people want to go through the tests and procedures in order to take care of their health, but many health care providers don’t ask the patients what their wishes are.In spite of public acknowledgment that ageism by the U.S. health care system does exist, no steps have been taken by the system to remove its bias against older Americans. Ageism continues to be practiced in all levels of health care. In a recent interview with Joe Reynolds,* a 71-year old Oregon resident, Reynolds stated that because he is an older person, health care providers are reluctant to treat him, and some have refused him treatment because of his age. Reynolds has diabetes, and has undergone a heart bypass. He is angry and frustrated with the medical practitioners that he has seen because he has the insurance to pay for his care, and he feels that he can tolerate the tests, procedures and medications. He declared that none of the health care providers is willing to provide the real care that he needs to live as healthy of a life as possible. Reynolds stated, “I’m old so they don’t want to do anything to help me. They don’t ask me how I feel about anything; they don’t ask me for any input about my needs. They just don’t care.”Older people like Reynolds give up and die sooner than they might have if they had been able to receive the necessary medical care. They feel like the cast-offs of society, and rightfully so. Some older people commit suicide instead of being forced to live with pain and other treatable medical conditions that they are unable to obtain treatment for.Preventive care that is routinely provided to younger people is often denied to older people. Screening for life threatening diseases and conditions is provided readily to younger people, but is grudgingly provided to older people, if it is provided at all. Older people are routinely left out when it comes to treatments such as chemotherapy, even though an older person can tolerate it just as well as a younger person. Attitude is also a factor in providing care to an older person. If the attitude of the health care professional is predisposed against providing that health care, the older person will suffer the consequences.The U.S. Health Care System needs to work harder to remove its prejudice against providing adequate and equal health care to older people, and treat them like the deserving American citizens that they are. Older people are the reason that many of our luxuries and comforts are here today. Health care partiality is not the way to treat the people that made this country.*last name changed at the request of interviewee© Copyright 2007 Patti McMann. All rights reserved. </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/ageism-in-america-discrimination-against-older-people-in-health-care,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Philosophy of Education – The Importance of Education in Society</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/philosophy-of-education-the-importance-of-education-in-society,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/philosophy-of-education-the-importance-of-education-in-society,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 07:42:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=57</guid> <description><![CDATA[Education has been part of the human society from the very beginning. Human societies throughout the ages have had vested interests in education. The importance of education can not be overemphasized. In fact it would not be an exaggeration to say that without education, most societies would die. Philosophy of Education is a term that [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Education has been part of the human society from the very beginning. Human societies throughout the ages have had vested interests in education. The importance of education can not be overemphasized. In fact it would not be an exaggeration to say that without education, most societies would die. Philosophy of Education is a term that can be used to refer to the academic field that involves applied philosophy. It can also be used to describe philosophies that promote certain visions of education, examining the goals, meaning and other aspects.While most societies will agree or acknowledge the importance of education, a large number of them fail to channel sufficient resources that can be used to promote and support educational institutions and activities. It is clear to everyone that children, who are born innumerate and illiterate, quickly learn the culture and norms of the community they are born into, with the help of those around them and professional teachers. Within a short time, the children are able to read, write and act in an appropriate way. The skills improve as the child grows, and with time, they will have learnt enough to enable them to operate in the society without constant guidance.Education today can serve as a mechanism for social- sorting. People have different learning skills with some exhibiting more facility than others. Education plays a major role on the economic fate of every individual. Education helps to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills that allow them to be able to define and pursue their individual goals. It also allows people to participate in the community, playing their part to improve their conditions and the condition of the society at large.While many may view education in a very individualistic way, it is important to look at the societal perspective. The more educated individuals there are in the society, the more developed that society becomes. Unfortunately most societies today are embracing the narrow view that encourages people to get an education as a way to enhance their own individual needs. This has led to a few individuals holding the view that they are autonomous. In the end, this same individual’s end up living very unfulfilled lives. Education should be able to create individuals who are assets to the society at large.Formal education provided by the state, is an acknowledgement of the importance of Philosophy of Education for survival of the society. </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/philosophy-of-education-the-importance-of-education-in-society,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Mortgage Loan Basics – Interest Only Loans, Pay Option ARM</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/mortgage-loan-basics-interest-only-loans-pay-option-arm,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/mortgage-loan-basics-interest-only-loans-pay-option-arm,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 06:21:39 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Loans]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=55</guid> <description><![CDATA[Mortgage Loan BasicsTo understand loans and mortgages we need to understand loan limits first. If your loan amount exceeds the amount below, you will qualify for a Jumbo Loan, which carries higher interest rate.One-Family (single family homes) $417,000Two-Family(duplex) $533,850Three-Family (triplex) $645,300Four-Family (fourplex) $801,950FIXED Loans:30 Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThis loan program is fixed for 30 years. [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Mortgage Loan BasicsTo understand loans and mortgages we need to understand loan limits first. If your loan amount exceeds the amount below, you will qualify for a Jumbo Loan, which carries higher interest rate.One-Family (single family homes) $417,000Two-Family(duplex) $533,850Three-Family (triplex) $645,300Four-Family (fourplex) $801,950FIXED Loans:30 Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThis loan program is fixed for 30 years. Your interest rate will not change for 30 years. This is ideal for people who plan to stay at their present property for a long period of time.20 Year Fixed Mortgage RatesFixed for 20 years. Your payment will be higher than 30 year fixed loan because your loan term is only for 20 years. Interest rate will not change for 20 years.15 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates15 year fixed loan has a loan term of 15 years and will not change during this period. Your monthly payment on this loan program will be much higher than 20 years fixed or 30 years fixed. Use this loan program if you plan to sell your home in 5-8 years. Interest rate will not change for 15 years.ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage)ARM Loans are fixed for a certain period of time, where after that period ARM loan becomes an adjustable loan. How do they work?Each ARM Loan Program has these options:1) Index: Most common index-LIBOR2) Margin: Is given to you by your lender, and it is the difference between the index rate and the interest charged to the borrowerFor example 5/1 ARM. This loan is fixed for 5 years after which in 6th year it becomes an adjustable loan. Your loan officer will tell you what your index is and what your margin is. Usually 5/1 arm is tied to 1-year treasury index and margin is around 2.00%-3.00%Your index + margin = Fully Index rate. Your new note rate (interest rate) after 5th year.What about the 6th year? What would your payment be?Let’s say that your loan officer told you that your margin is 2.5% with 1 year treasury index. You will have to look up 1 year treasury index for a specific month.1 year treasury as of Oct.2005 is 4.18, and you know that your margin is 2.5%. Therefore you new interest rate is 1 year treasury 4.18% (index) + 2.5% (margin) = 6.68% for the beginning of 6th year.Index rate are move on monthly basis, therefore your payment may fluctuate each month. In most cases banks wills end you a statement advising you that your rate will change.3) To protect consumers from high index rates, lenders implemented a CAPS.An example of this is a 2/6 cap, which allows the interest rate on your ARM loan to go up or down by no more than two percent every adjustment period, and has a total limit of six percent for cumulative changes. Therefore a 2/6 cap on a 5% ARM will allow a maximum rate (6 + 5%) of no more than 11%.In some cases you will see 2/2/6, which means 2% adjustment with 2 year prepayment penalty and total of six percent of cumulative changes.4) With an arm you can have either a fixed rate or you can choose an Interest Only structure loan.1/1 ARM Mortgage Rates1 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 1 year and in 2nd year it becomes an adjustable.3/1 ARM Mortgage Rates3 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 3 years and in 4th year it becomes an adjustable.5/1 ARM Mortgage Rates5 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 5 years and in 6th year it becomes an adjustable.7/1 ARM Mortgage Rates7 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 7 years and in 8th year it becomes an adjustable.10/1 ARM Mortgage Rates10 year ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) is fixed for 10 years and in 11th year it becomes an adjustable.Interest Only LoansFor example, if a 30-year fixed-rate loan of $100,000 at 8.5% is interest only, the payment is .085/12 times $100,000, or $708.34. This is an example of interest only payment.Each loan payment consists of Interest and Principal. Here you will be paying an interest each month and your principal will be adding to your balance, thus increasing it. You may also pay both principal and interest.If a lender offers you an Interest only Loan these loans are tied to an index just like ARM loans.MTA Index: The MTA index generally fluctuates slightly more than the COFI, although its movements track each other very closely.. 1 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates. 3 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates. 6 Month MTA ARM Mortgage Rates. 12 Month MTA ARM Mortgage RatesCOFI Index: This index rise (and fall) more slowly than rates in general, which is good for you if rates are rising but not good for you if rates are falling.. 1 Month COFI ARM Mortgage Rates. 3 Month COFI ARM Mortgage RatesLIBOR Index: LIBOR is an international index, which follows the world economic condition. It allows international investors to match their cost of lending to their cost of funds. The LIBOR compares most closely to the CMT index and is more open to quick and wide fluctuations than the COFI.. 6 Month LIBOR ARM Mortgage Rates. 12 Month LIBOR ARM Mortgage RatesPay Option ARM LoanPay Option ARM in a new loan program allowing customers to choose from up to 4 different payments. This loan program is part of an ARM, but with added flexibility of making one of the 4 payments.Your initial start rate varies from 1.000% to anywhere around 4.000%. The initial start rate is held only for one month, after that interest rate changes monthly.4 major choices are:1) Minimum payment: For the first 12 months interest rate is calculated using the start rate after that interest rate is calculated annually.Example:Loan Amount: $200,000.00Initial Rate: 1.25%Index: 3.326 (MTA as of October 2005)Margin: 2.75%Payment Cap: 7.5%Fully Indexed Rate: 6.076% (index + margin)Minimum Payment Changes:Year 1 $666.50 Minimum PaymentYear 2 $716.49 = $666.50 + 7.50%Year 3 $770.22 = $716.49 + 7.50%Year 4 $827.99 = $770.22 + 7.50%Year 5 $890.09 = $827.99 + 7.50%The Option ARM’s 7.5% payment cap limits how much the payment can increase or decrease each year, except for every fifth year (beginning in the 10th year on certain programs), when the cap does not apply. In the event your balance exceeds your original loan amount by 125% (110% in N.Y.), the payment amount may change more frequently without regard to the payment cap.Because you are paying “minimum payment” this option will defer a payment of an interest which will be added to your balance.Minimum Payment Adjustment Period: The minimum payment is usually set to 12 months, unless negative amortization limit is reached.Minimum Payment Cap: This is a limit on how much the minimum payment can change. Your payment cap will be 7.5% for the first five years. On your next payment due, your minimum payment cannot increase or decrease more than 7.5%. If it does than a loan is recast.Recast (Recasting) or re-calculating your loan is a way of limiting negative amortization (neg-am). Option ARM’s recast every 5 years. When the loan is recast, the payment required to fully amortize the loan over the remaining term becomes the new minimum payment2) Interest Only Payment: With Interest Only you will avoid differed interest, because you are paying principal and interest. If you pay only Interest or Principal your loan balance will increase because you are adding either principal payment or interest payment to your loan balance, thus leading towards Neg-Am Loan.Your payment may change on monthly basis based on ARM index (LIBOR, COFI, MTA).3) Fully Amortizing 30-Year Payment: It’s calculated each month based on the prior month’s interest rate, loan balance and remaining loan term. When you choose this option, you reduce your principal and pay off your loan on schedule.4) Fully Amortizing 15-Year Payment: It is calculated from the first payment due date.Negative Amortization Loan (Neg-Am Loan) Negative amortization loans calculate two interest rates. The first is called the payment rate the second is the actual interest rate. The true interest rate is calculated as simply the index plus the margin without periodic caps. Borrowers are given a choice of which rate to pay. Thus advertisers of negative amortization loans often refer to these loans as “payment option” loans.A loan that allows negative amortization means the borrower is allowed to make a monthly mortgage payment that is less than the interest actually owed during that month. For example, let’s say we have a $200,000 loan with an adjustable rate that’s currently sitting at five percent. Simple interest on this loan is easy to calculate. Multiply the interest rate by the loan amount and you have the annual interest of $10,000. Divide $10,000 by 12 months and the monthly “interest only” payment is $833.33 or simply here is the formula for your monthly payment for interest only loans: loan balance x interest rates / 12 = monthly payment.Now, let’s say that there’s a provision in the loan documents that allow the borrower to make a minimum payment based on a “payment rate” of four percent. So your lowest payment would be $666.67 because the “payment rate” is based upon four percent, not the actual interest rate, which is five percent.So if you make make the lowest allowable payment you are actually losing $166.67 in equity. The balance of the loan increases to $200,166.67.Exotic MortgageYou may have heard this term before. So what are they?The latest and most exotic mortgages out there include:1. The 40-Year Mortgage: This is similar to a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, except the payment is being stretched over an extra 10 years. The lender will charge a slightly higher interest rate, as much as half a percentage point.2. The Interest-Only Mortgage: With an interest-only mortgage, the lender allows the borrower to pay only the interest for the first so many years of a mortgage. After the grace period, the loan essentially becomes a new mortgage with the interest and principal being stretched only the remaining years. Please refer above for Interest Only Loans.3. The Negative Amortization Mortgage: This interest-only type of mortgage allows a buyer to pay less than the full amount of interest. The difference between the full interest payment and the amount actually paid is added to the balance of the loan. Please refer above for more information.4. The Piggy Back Mortgage: This is actually two mortgages, one on top of the other. The first mortgage covers 80% of the property’s value. The second covers the remaining balance at a slightly higher interest rate.5. 103s and 107s: You may not need to save for a down payment at all. You could borrow 3% or 7% more than your home is even worth. These loans give you the option of borrowing money needed for closing costs and moving costs. You can include it all in the mortgage.6. Home Equity Line of Credit: These aren’t just for those who own a home! They are commonly known as HELOCs, and they can finance an original home purchase using a credit line instead of a traditional mortgage. HELOCs are variable-rate mortgages tied to the prime rate. If you use this mortgage as your first mortgage, all of the interest is tax deductible. </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/mortgage-loan-basics-interest-only-loans-pay-option-arm,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How to Lower Your Student Loan Interest Rates</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/how-to-lower-your-student-loan-interest-rates,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/how-to-lower-your-student-loan-interest-rates,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2023 04:39:18 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Loans]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=53</guid> <description><![CDATA[Refinancing student loans is a decision that approximately 2 out 3 college graduates face each year. After your graduation you have approximately 6 months to begin a repayment program of some kind for your student loans, and it is always a good idea to consider refinancing student loans as a way of reducing your monthly [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Refinancing student loans is a decision that approximately 2 out 3 college graduates face each year. After your graduation you have approximately 6 months to begin a repayment program of some kind for your student loans, and it is always a good idea to consider refinancing student loans as a way of reducing your monthly payments and your overall cost of the loan. You reduce your overall loan ownership cost when you find a consolidation loan that has an interest rate lower than the loans you currently have. It is important to understand the process of refinancing student loans before you set out to actually get involved in signing a loan agreement.There are a lot of reasons to consider refinancing student loans. Each loan carries its own service charge each month and consolidating those loans will eliminate the multiple service charges and bring it down to just one service charge. If you can find a consolidation loan that has an interest rate lower than the lowest interest rate of the multiple student loans you currently have, then you will lower your monthly payments as was mentioned before. A couple of interest points can make a huge difference in how much you wind up paying each month, and how much interest you are responsible for paying back throughout the life of the loans. It is possible that you graduated college with multiple loans that you have to pay back and it is just easier to have only one loan to pay versus having to administer several loans each month.The process of consolidating student loans varies depending on what kind of student loans you have. If you have loans that are guaranteed by the federal government, then there is a program you can get involved in after graduation that will allow you to consolidate those loans at the lowest available interest rate. Many students have what are called Stafford loans, and these are loans backed by the federal government. Getting a consolidation loan for government back student financing is not a difficult process, and it can be done at any bank that participates in the Stafford program. In most cases government-backed student loans do not cover the costs of going to school; so many people are forced to get private student loans. Unfortunately these loans are not backed by the federal government, and in order to consolidate these loans the student must work out a loan program with the financial institution directly.When you consolidate your student loans you have the potential to lower your monthly payments, and you make life a lot easier by only having to worry about having one loan payment as opposed to multiple loan payments. You have been accruing interest all throughout school, and depending on what kind of loan you have you may be responsible for paying that interest back as part of your student loan repayment. A consolidation could make those payments lower by offering a lower interest rate. If the numbers match up, then consolidation becomes a good choice.Sometimes the numbers do not match up and getting a consolidation loan is not a good business decision. If you secured all of your student loans back when interest rates were very low, and you are considering consolidating at a time when rates are high then a consolidation loan could cost you more than paying them off individually. It is also smart to consider the size of the loans you are looking at before you group them all together into one loan. If you take a relatively small loan and group it into a consolidation loan you have then added more interest to it and extended the amount of time it would take to pay that loan back. Look at each loan individually and determine which ones you can pay off relatively quickly, and which ones need consolidation due to the size of the loan. </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/how-to-lower-your-student-loan-interest-rates,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Modern Financial Management Theories & Small Businesses</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/modern-financial-management-theories-small-businesses,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/modern-financial-management-theories-small-businesses,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:53:22 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=50</guid> <description><![CDATA[The following are some examples of modern financial management theories formulated on principles considered as ‘a set of fundamental tenets that form the basis for financial theory and decision-making in finance’ (Emery et al.1991). An attempt would be made to relate the principles behind these concepts to small businesses’ financial management.Agency Theory Agency theory deals [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> The following are some examples of modern financial management theories formulated on principles considered as ‘a set of fundamental tenets that form the basis for financial theory and decision-making in finance’ (Emery et al.1991). An attempt would be made to relate the principles behind these concepts to small businesses’ financial management.Agency Theory<br />Agency theory deals with the people who own a business enterprise and all others who have interests in it, for example managers, banks, creditors, family members, and employees. The agency theory postulates that the day to day running of a business enterprise is carried out by managers as agents who have been engaged by the owners of the business as principals who are also known as shareholders. The theory is on the notion of the principle of ‘two-sided transactions’ which holds that any financial transactions involve two parties, both acting in their own best interests, but with different expectations.Problems usually identified with agency theory may include:i. Information asymmetry- a situation in which agents have information on the financial circumstances and prospects of the enterprise that is not known to principals (Emery et al.1991). For example ‘The Business Roundtable’ emphasised that in planning communications with shareholders and investors, companies should consider never misleading or misinforming stockholders about the corporation’s operations or financial condition. In spite of this principle, there was lack of transparency from Enron’s management leading to its collapse;ii. Moral hazard-a situation in which agents deliberately take advantage of information asymmetry to redistribute wealth to themselves in an unseen manner which is ultimately to the detriment of principals. A case in point is the failure of the Board of directors of Enron’s compensation committee to ask any question about the award of salaries, perks, annuities, life insurance and rewards to the executive members at a critical point in the life of Enron; with one executive on record to have received a share of ownership of a corporate jet as a reward and also a loan of $77m to the CEO even though the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the US bans loans by companies to their executives; andiii. Adverse selection-this concerns a situation in which agents misrepresent the skills or abilities they bring to an enterprise. As a result of that the principal’s wealth is not maximised (Emery et al.1991).In response to the inherent risk posed by agents’ quest to make the most of their interests to the disadvantage of principals (i.e. all stakeholders), each stakeholder tries to increase the reward expected in return for participation in the enterprise. Creditors may increase the interest rates they get from the enterprise. Other responses are monitoring and bonding to improve principal’s access to reliable information and devising means to find a common ground for agents and principals respectively.Emanating from the risks faced in agency theory, researchers on small business financial management contend that in many small enterprises the agency relationship between owners and managers may be absent because the owners are also managers; and that the predominantly nature of SMEs make the usual solutions to agency problems such as monitoring and bonding costly thereby increasing the cost of transactions between various stakeholders (Emery et al.1991).Nevertheless, the theory provides useful knowledge into many matters in SMEs financial management and shows considerable avenues as to how SMEs financial management should be practiced and perceived. It also enables academic and practitioners to pursue strategies that could help sustain the growth of SMEs.Signaling Theory<br />Signaling theory rests on the transfer and interpretation of information at hand about a business enterprise to the capital market, and the impounding of the resulting perceptions into the terms on which finance is made available to the enterprise. In other words, flows of funds between an enterprise and the capital market are dependent on the flow of information between them. (Emery et al, 1991). For example management’s decision to make an acquisition or divest; repurchase outstanding shares; as well as decisions by outsiders like for example an institutional investor deciding to withhold a certain amount of equity or debt finance. The emerging evidence on the relevance of signaling theory to small enterprise financial management is mixed. Until recently, there has been no substantial and reliable empirical evidence that signaling theory accurately represents particular situations in SME financial management, or that it adds insights that are not provided by modern theory (Emery et al.1991).Keasey et al(1992) writes that of the ability of small enterprises to signal their value to potential investors, only the signal of the disclosure of an earnings forecast were found to be positively and significantly related to enterprise value amongst the following: percentage of equity retained by owners, the net proceeds raised by an equity issue, the choice of financial advisor to an issue (presuming that a more reputable accountant, banker or auditor may cause greater faith to be placed in the prospectus for the float), and the level of under pricing of an issue. Signaling theory is now considered to be more insightful for some aspects of small enterprise financial management than others (Emery et al 1991).The Pecking-Order Theory or Framework (POF)<br />This is another financial theory, which is to be considered in relation to SMEs financial management. It is a finance theory which suggests that management prefers to finance first from retained earnings, then with debt, followed by hybrid forms of finance such as convertible loans, and last of all by using externally issued equity; with bankruptcy costs, agency costs, and information asymmetries playing little role in affecting the capital structure policy. A research study carried out by Norton (1991b) found out that 75% of the small enterprises used seemed to make financial structure decisions within a hierarchical or pecking order framework .Holmes et al. (1991) admitted that POF is consistent with small business sectors because they are owner-managed and do not want to dilute their ownership. Owner-managed businesses usually prefer retained profits because they want to maintain the control of assets and business operations.This is not strange considering the fact that in Ghana, according to empirical evidence, SMEs funding is made up of about 86% of own equity as well as loans from family and friends(See Table 1). Losing this money is like losing one’s own reputation which is considered very serious customarily in Ghana.Access to capital<br />The 1971 Bolton report on small firms outlined issues underlying the concept of ‘finance gap’ (this has two components-knowledge gap-debt is restricted due to lack of awareness of appropriate sources, advantages and disadvantages of finance; and supply gap-unavailability of funds or cost of debt to small enterprises exceeds the cost of debt for larger enterprises.) that: there are a set of difficulties which face a small company. Small companies are hit harder by taxation, face higher investigation costs for loans, are generally less well informed of sources of finance and are less able to satisfy loan requirements. Small firms have limited access to the capital and money markets and therefore suffer from chronic undercapitalization. As a result; they are likely to have excessive recourse to expensive funds which act as a brake on their economic development.Leverage<br />This is the term used to describe the converse of gearing which is the proportion of total assets financed by equity and may be called equity to assets ratio. The studies under review in this section on leverage are focused on total debt as a percentage of equity or total assets. There are however, some studies on the relative proportions of different types of debt held by small and large enterprises.Equity Funds<br />Equity is also known as owners’ equity, capital, or net worth.<br />Costand et al (1990) suggests that ‘larger firms will use greater levels of debt financing than small firms. This implies that larger firms will rely relatively less on equity financing than do smaller firms.’ According to the pecking order framework, the small enterprises have two problems when it comes to equity funding [McMahon et al. (1993, pp153)]:1) Small enterprises usually do not have the option of issuing additional equity to the public.<br />2) Owner-managers are strongly averse to any dilution of their ownership interest and control. This way they are unlike the managers of large concerns who usually have only a limited degree of control and limited, if any, ownership interest, and are therefore prepared to recognise a broader range of funding options.Financial Management in SME<br />With high spate of financial problems contributing to the high rate of failures in small medium enterprises, what do the literature on small business say on financial management in small businesses to combat such failures?<br />Osteryoung et al (1997) writes that “while financial management is a critical element of the management of a business as a whole, within this function the management of its assets is perhaps the most important. In the long term, the purchase of assets directs the course that the business will take during the life of these assets, but the business will never see the long term if it cannot plan an appropriate policy to effectively manage its working capital.” In effect the poor financial management of owner-managers or lack of financial management altogether is the main cause underlying the problems in SME financial management.Hall and Young(1991) in a study in the UK of 3 samples of 100 small enterprises that were subject to involuntary liquidation in 1973,1978,and 1983 found out that the reasons given for failure,49.8% were of financial nature. On the perceptions of official receivers interviewed for the same small enterprises, 86.6% of the 247 reasons given were of a financial nature. The positive correlation between poor or nil financial management (including basic accounting) and business failure has well been documented in western countries according to Peacock (1985a).It is gainsaying the fact that despite the need to manage every aspect of their small enterprises with very little internal and external support, it is often the case that owner-managers only have experience or training in some functional areas.There is a school of thought that believes “a well-run business enterprise should be as unconscious of its finances as healthy a fit person is of his or her breathing”. It must be possible to undertake production, marketing, distribution and the like, without repeatedly causing, or being hindered by, financial pressures and strains. It does not mean, however, that financial management can be ignored by a small enterprise owner-manager; or as is often done, given to an accountant to take care of. Whether it is obvious or not to the casual observer, in prosperous small enterprises the owner-managers themselves have a firm grasp of the principles of financial management and are actively involved in applying them to their own situation.” McMahon et al. (1993).Some researchers tried to predict small enterprise failure to mitigate the collapse of small businesses. McNamara et al (1988) developed a model to predict small enterprise failures giving the following four reasons:- To enable management to respond quickly to changing conditions<br />- To train lenders in recognising the important factors involved in determining an enterprise’s likelihood of failing<br />- To assist lending organisations in their marketing by identifying their customer’s financial needs more effectively<br />- To act as a filter in the credit evaluation process.They went on to argue that small enterprises are very different from large ones in the area of borrowing by small enterprises, lack of long-term debt finance and different taxation provisions.For small private companies, these measures are unreliable and textbook methods for judging investment opportunities are not always useful in organisations that are privately owned to give a true and fair view of events taking place in the company.Thus,modern financial management is not the ultimate answer to every business problem including both large and small businesses.However,it could be argued that there is some food for thought for SMEs concerning every concept considered in this study. For example it could be seen (from the literature reviewed )that, financial records are meant to examine and analyse corporate operations. Return on equity, return on assets, return on investment, and debt to equity ratios are useful yardsticks for measuring the performance of big business and SMEs as well. </p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/modern-financial-management-theories-small-businesses,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Crypto Currency Vs Fiat Currency</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/crypto-currency-vs-fiat-currency,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/crypto-currency-vs-fiat-currency,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:40:25 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cash]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Crypto currency]]></category> <category><![CDATA[currency]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=48</guid> <description><![CDATA[Crypto currency vs. Fiat currency Are you aware of the fiat currencies and the crypto currencies? They both are currencies in one form or the other and are open for public use across the world. But they are both different and distinct in their own ways. There is always one group that favors the use [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Crypto currency vs. Fiat currency</p><p>Are you aware of the fiat currencies and the crypto currencies? They both are currencies in one form or the other and are open for public use across the world. But they are both different and distinct in their own ways. There is always one group that favors the use of cryptos, while the other has a soft corner for the fiat currencies.</p><p>In cashless society- crypto money play a huge role</p><p>If you have a look at the market of the 1970s and 1980s, you will find that the cash played the dominant role. But, with the change in the technology, electronic transactions have become the usual norm. Today, more and more people are influenced in becoming the cashless society. With the progress towards the cashless society, cryptocurrencies have a big role to play.</p><p>Crypto currency and fiat currency are always at loggerheads</p><p>Cryptocurrency and fiat currency are popular types of digital currency, especially when it is about an online transaction. They both are currencies currently in use in the market but have some differences in them. There is a hell lot of hypes that you will hear on a daily basis comparing the crypto money and the fiat money. This article will highlight the difference between the two in a more comprehensive and clear manner.</p><p>Differentiating in what the currencies stand for</p><p>Before going for the difference between the two, you must understand what do they stand for and how are they are defined.</p><p>The fiat currency is a legal tender that has the support of the central government, and it operates in the physical form. For instance, US dollars, British Pounds, Euro etc. On the other hand, the crypto currency is a non-legal tender, and doesn’t have any backup from the central government or bank.<br />Hence, the difference between crypto currency and fiat currency is noted as follows:</p><p>• Crypto-currencies are decentralized and global in nature. There are no one entity or government that controls the currency with their laws and regulations. The Fiat currency is centralized, under the control of the laws and regulations of the banks and government.</p><p>• Crypto-currencies have their existence only in the digital domain. On the other hand, you will find that the fiat currencies have a tangible and physical existence.</p><p>• There is a limited supply of crypto-currencies with a maximum set of them getting supplied in the market. Whereas, the fiat money has an unlimited supply as the government and bank are entitled to produce coins and paper money whenever the situation is required.</p><p>• The Bitcoin and other crypto type currencies are created by the computers, while the fiat currencies are issued by the local government and the banks.</p><p>• Cryptocurrencies are presented as the public and private code pieces. On the other hand, the fiat currencies are presented in the form of coins and paper money.</p><p>• The value of the crypto currencies is not recognized by the supply and demand of the market. Whereas, the fiat currency value is determined by the market regulations of supply and demand.</p><p>The different types of crypto and fiat currencies</p><p>In the last one decade, the popularity of crypto type currencies has emerged as a huge success. It was in 2009, when Bitcoin was first introduced, and years after several other types of crypto currencies have emerged. Starting from Litecoin. Dogecoin, Ripple to the Dcash and Zcash, there is a plethora of them. On the other hand, the fiat currency has a rich and ancient roots, with the Great British Pound, that dates back to 775 AD. It is considered as the oldest currency in the world that is still in use.</p><p>The differences in the anonymity between the two currencies</p><p>When you are using the fiat currencies, you need to undergo a user identification or verification process. You are asked to upload a recent picture of yourself and some of the required documents to be issued as per the public authorities. You don’t need to undergo any of the required processes with the crypto currencies. Though your personal information and confidential details don’t get public, but all your transactions are recorded and tracked in both the fiat and the crypto currencies.</p><p>Fiat currency vs crypto currency: transparency level</p><p>• The transparency level with the crypto type currencies are considered to be more. This is because the revenue streams are displayed in a public chain. Everyone can witness their own and others’ transactions.</p><p>• The fiat or govt. currencies are not transparent, as there are not public chains to see the revenue streams of the people.</p><p>A comparative historical roots</p><p>If you compare the crypto money with that of its counterpart, fiat or government currency, you will find that their existence and creation brings the difference. The Fiat or government currency, dates back its existence as early as 775 AD with the introduction of the Great British Pound. This is why fiat type currency is easily accepted by the people all over.</p><p>On the other hand, the crypto coin was perhaps first introduced only a decade ago, with the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009. The challenge that the Bitcoin and other crypto currencies face is catching up with the immense popularity and increasing fan base of the fiat currency. Crypto currency, is no doubt gaining importance and popularity in the economic market, but it has still not been accepted widely in the society as the fiat currency.</p><p>A comparative history of the two currencies:</p><p>• It was in the 11th century, when the Chinese Song dynasty was perhaps the first one to issue the paper money. It was not allowed to exchange with valuables like gold and silver or silk.</p><p>• There were Tally sticks that were introduced as a fiat or government currency. 1100 Tally sticks were introduced as a combat for the shortages in gold.</p><p>• 1971, was the year, when the fiat currency received a worldwide recognition. President Nixon introduced it in order to eliminate the dollar pegging system to gold.</p><p>• It was in 1998, when the idea of an anonymous electronic cash system emerged by Wei Dai. Bitgold-the very first crypto currency was created by Nick Szabo, but it didn’t receive as much attention as Bitcoin.</p><p>• In 2009, Bitcoin was introduced in the market, that became the first crypto currency that was accepted across the globe. In 2011 and after, a series of several other crypto currencies were introduced. Some of the popular ones include, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Zcash, Dash and so on.</p><p>The traits of both the currencies</p><p>The potential of the crypto type currencies and fiat currencies, accessing their traits is important. You will find that in some of the criteria, Bitcoin and other crypto currency is superior than the fiat or government currency, and in some cases, the latter surpasses. It is absolutely your call to choose the type of currency (crypto type currency or fiat type currency) based on your personal needs and requirements.</p><p>Let us compare their traits with respect to certain factors.</p><p>• Both the crypto coins and fiat type currencies are interchangeable in nature.</p><p>• As per the portability is concerned both the currencies secure more or less the same position.</p><p>• With respect to the non consumable criteria, crypto currency and fiat type currency have the equal status.</p><p>• Crypto type currencies have high durability as compared to the fiat-currencies that have moderate level of durability.</p><p>• Both the crypto or virtual currencies and the fiat or government currencies ensure secure and safeguarded transactions and exchange.</p><p>• Crypto or digital currencies are highly divisible in nature. On the other hand, the fiat type currencies are moderately divisible.</p><p>• In terms of the transaction process, the crypto currencies are easy and hassle free. Whereas, on the other hand, the traction process associated with the fiat currencies are easy, but not like the cryptos.</p><p>• The crypto based currencies are decentralized and global in nature, unlike the fiat currencies that are centralized and functions under the laws and regulations of the government.</p><p>• The crypto based currencies have high scarcity, where as, the fiat currencies are unlimited as the government can issue coins and paper money whenever there is a need.</p><p>• The crypto based currencies are based on mathematical algorithms, and are programmable. The fiat currencies are not at all programmable.</p><p>• The fiat currencies are sovereign in nature, while the crypto currencies are not.</p><p>The process of the functioning of the currencies</p><p>You can find the significant differences between the crypto or digital currencies and the fiat currencies with the way they both operate and the transaction process that take place. They are contrasting in nature. The transfer of money using the Bitcoin is very quick, and you absolutely don’t need any third party association.</p><p>On the other hand, if you are involved with the money exchange using Fiat type currency, a mobile wallet is in use. You can exchange an amount of e-money that gets transferred into the equal e-value amount. Both the fiat and the crypto currencies enable you to purchase everything that you desire. But the processes involved are absolutely distinct from each other.</p><p>Depending on the things you purchase, you will find that one currency form is better than the other. This is absolutely your choice.</p><p>Is Bitcoin, a crypto currency better than the fiat-currency?</p><p>The long term benefits and the capability of the Bitcoins is still not established. But it has been predicted by the crypto currency gurus and experts, that they will go a long way, especially revolutionizing the way the online transactions are done. In the current market, the Bitcoin is mainly included in the online casinos and the gambling, but it is not limited to it.</p><p>Furthermore, when you compare the fiat currencies, the Bitcoin allows you to seize the power and authority from the banks and the government since it is not controlled. The cryptography based currency has the capability to create or come up with the free market capitals. Fiat currencies are affected by the inflation and the changes in the market, unlike the crypto based currencies. Such aspects make individuals believe that cryptograph based currencies will soon take over the mainstream currencies and bring a transformation in the way the money is used.</p><p>Why is Bitcoins considered to be a better aspect than the fiat type currencies?</p><p>• Bitcoin gives you the opportunity to re-create a free market capitalism.</p><p>• The power of controlling the money is absolutely with the individuals, and not with the banks like the fiat type currencies.</p><p>• When there is an inflation, the Bitcoin is not affected. But the Fiat type currency will be easier to lose and get affected by it.</p><p>• The Bitcoin currency is easy easier to exchange and transfer as compared to the fiat or government currencies.</p><p>• The transaction fees involved with the Bitcoin are way cheaper and easily affordable.</p><p>Crypto currencies seem to be a favorable option among the people</p><p>The fiat type currencies are the centralized and legal way of exchanging money. But, the crypto currencies have acquired immense popularity in the past few years. There will never be anyone who would act as a middle man, like the case with the banks. Moreover, the cryptos are way cheaper and less expensive that the conventional fiat currencies.</p><p>Send money anywhere directly without waiting for the bank’s approval</p><p>You can send money to anyone in the world directly, and it is super fast. The money gets cleared within a few minutes time. You don’t have to wait for the traditional clearing and verification processes of the banking systems, which might take up to several days to get a clearance. Since it is decentralized and doesn’t come under the law and regulations of the government, nobody has any power to do anything with your account.</p><p>The blockchain technology has a very big role to play</p><p>Thanks to the crypto currencies, that gives us the power and the authority to become our very own bank, and take control over our finances. It is because of the blockchain technology that offers a higher level of sophistication while dealing with the finances. In fact, there are some mainstream financial industries that have started incorporating the idea of the technology.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/crypto-currency-vs-fiat-currency,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Are You Choosing the Right Stock Market Advisory Company</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/are-you-choosing-the-right-stock-market-advisory-company,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/are-you-choosing-the-right-stock-market-advisory-company,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:35:11 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[financial]]></category> <category><![CDATA[help you]]></category> <category><![CDATA[planners]]></category> <category><![CDATA[point]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=46</guid> <description><![CDATA[What do you do if you want to learn driving a car? You will try to find an expert teacher, isn’t it? You do not want to avail the services of a novice individual to help you out, but a professional person can provide you the vital tips and most importantly guide you efficiently. Similarly, [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What do you do if you want to learn driving a car? You will try to find an expert teacher, isn’t it? You do not want to avail the services of a novice individual to help you out, but a professional person can provide you the vital tips and most importantly guide you efficiently. Similarly, when it comes to investing in the stock market for the first time, you require a knowledgeable advice to attain your financial goals and get profitable returns.</p><p>If you are a beginner, then it is quite obvious that you may be having no information about the process of buying the right shares in the market. In such a situation, getting the right tips from an experienced financial advisor or a registered advisory company will truly prove to be a great blessing in disguise. However, there are some of the important things that have to be kept in mind while choosing the top stock market advisory company, which are as follows:</p><p>How much assistance do you actually require?</p><p>Before you make up your mind to hire an advisor, it is imperative that you must first decide about the kind of service you require from them. You may need their help at the beginning or during the time of any issues. This is because an advisor has to formulate a map according to your requirements. Hence, it is suggested to ascertain your needs first and then take further action.</p><p>Choose a top ranked advisory company</p><p>It is a very important point that has to be taken into the consideration. Availing services of the well known advisory company or a financial advisor is an absolute necessity. Make it a point to carry out a proper background or research work about the company. Check out their credentials, reputation, experience, etc before hiring them.</p><p>Asking for a sample financial plan initially makes sense</p><p>When hiring a financial advisor, then do not forget to ask for sample plan first. It is imperative to note that there is no such thing called the perfect plan. A sample plan will help you to determine whether an advisory company is actually making sense according your requirements or not.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The financial planners or advisory companies can really turn out to be the greatest asset for you if you choose the best one. They are just like the professional sailors who can help you out to sail through stock investment related problems quite efficiently.</p><p>Deepak is a financial advisor who likes to provide quality tips to the people facing any issues with regard to investing in the stock market. He likes to keep himself updated about the stock market by reading articles, news and blogs, etc.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/are-you-choosing-the-right-stock-market-advisory-company,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Fear and Greed in the Market</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/fear-and-greed-in-the-market,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/fear-and-greed-in-the-market,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:33:26 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[company]]></category> <category><![CDATA[indicators]]></category> <category><![CDATA[investors]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market]]></category> <category><![CDATA[technical]]></category> <category><![CDATA[trading]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=44</guid> <description><![CDATA[Greed and Fear. Two Emotions that play a bigger factor in the success or failure of humans than any other emotion we experience. Both fear and greed refer to an intrinsic emotional state. Tens of Millions of dollars have been made and lost based on these 2 emotions alone. In trading, in business and in [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Greed and Fear.</p><p>Two Emotions that play a bigger factor in the success or failure of humans than any other emotion we experience. Both fear and greed refer to an intrinsic emotional state. Tens of Millions of dollars have been made and lost based on these 2 emotions alone. In trading, in business and in relationships. So why do so many educational courses, stock trading books and online courses avoid this topic all together?</p><p>Perhaps they are not avoiding the topic of emotions, Perhaps by teaching certain methods and skill sets to their readers they are in fact dealing with the emotional side of trading head on!</p><p>It is well known that emotions create a certain amount of pleasure or displeasure. It is also known that emotions are networked with mood, frame of mind, desires and passions. The list goes on… So how do we as individuals develop a skill set to navigate these emotions in business in trading and in life?</p><p>Charles Darwin argued that emotions actually served a purpose for humans and rightfully so, If our emotions have been evolving for over 2 million years. Should we not be using these amazing skills to our advantage rather than placing blame on them for poor decision making? It is my belief the poor decision making has nothing to do with emotions and everything to do with laziness and lack of planning.</p><p>A Lesson From One of the Greats!</p><p>I would be doing my readers a disservice if we did not mention the strategy of Warren Buffett. One of the most successful investors of our time. Warren Buffet stuck to his strategy and profited greatly. Warren Buffett showed us just how important and beneficial it is to stick to a plan. When deciding whether or not to invest in a company himself, Buffett and his partners follow a few simple guidelines, one of which involves trying to determine the company’s longevity.</p><p>As the market becomes overwhelmed with greed, the same can happen with fear. When stocks suffer large losses for a sustained period of time, the overall market can become more fearful of sustaining even further losses. But being too fearful can be a grave mistake. It is precisely at this time successful investors and traders alike make their move. This is where the real money is made.</p><p>Just as greed dominated the recent Cryptocurrency boom or fear dominates the headlines on potential trade war outcomes, investors quickly move around from one “secure” investment to another. It becomes a constant game of cat and mouse.</p><p>This flooding in of money to the stock market shows a complete disregard for many technical indicators that continue to scream a correction is inescapable. Retail Investors seem overjoyed with the flooding in of headlines that read ALL TIME HIGH. Should retail investors be overrun by fear of a major correction?. Granted, losing a large portion of your retirement portfolio’s worth is a tough pill to swallow, but even harder to digest is the possibility of missing out on the massive gains the market is currently offering investors of all experience levels.</p><p>Having a clear understanding of my own personal goals, a understanding of my success and creating a list of my OWN wants and needs rather than taking dreams of others and trying to reach them has been a colossal factor in putting out the greed flame in my own trading and daily decision-making.</p><p>I have also added a link of “Must Read” Books that have been advantageous in my journey of reigning in my emotions on decision-making. I will update this as I see fit..</p><p>One method I have found to be helpful is to be careful on how I measure success, wealth, goals and most importantly happiness. It is far to easy these days to allow outside influences affect our happiness and success. Social media blasts us day in and day out with the success of others.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/fear-and-greed-in-the-market,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>5 Areas Where Interest Rates Matter!</title> <link>https://gcrplms.info/5-areas-where-interest-rates-matter,html</link> <comments>https://gcrplms.info/5-areas-where-interest-rates-matter,html#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:32:13 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>admin</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[buyer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[government]]></category> <category><![CDATA[politics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pricing]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://gcrplms.info/?p=41</guid> <description><![CDATA[Although, we hear, a lot of opinions, about, interest rates, and their trends, and impacts, very few people seem to understand, the significance, and importance/ relevance, of these rates, in several areas of our lives! After, many decades of involvement, in political campaigns, leadership, leadership training/ planning, real estate, financial sales and consulting, etc, I [...]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Although, we hear, a lot of opinions, about, interest rates, and their trends, and impacts, very few people seem to understand, the significance, and importance/ relevance, of these rates, in several areas of our lives! After, many decades of involvement, in political campaigns, leadership, leadership training/ planning, real estate, financial sales and consulting, etc, I strongly believed, one benefits, by understanding, more about these, and how they affect, many things, in our lives! Whether, related to personal, organizational, and/ or, public finance/ spending, home ownership and related costs, credit – related issues, business matters, stock and bond pricing, etc, interest rates, truly, significantly, matter! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 of these areas, and how the cost – of – money, makes a significant difference.</p><p>1. Bond prices and interest rates: The price of a bond, generally, is inversely – related to interest rates! When these rates go down, prices, rise, and when they go up, the inverse occurs! Bonds have, what is known, as, a par – value, which is the price, paid, at the end of the term. Markets usually set these at 100, which represents $1,000 per bond, at maturity. However, during the period, the pricing can rise or fall, which impacts, liquidity – related issues!</p><p>2. Mortgage rates: For the last few years, we have been witnessing and experiencing, record – low, mortgage interest rates, which have helped the overall, real estate/ housing market, especially, in terms of, pricing increases! In most areas of this country, we are seeing, home prices, at their highest levels, ever, by a significant, dramatic amount! When this rate, is low, a home buyer is able to buy, more – house – for – his – bucks, because, his monthly payments, are so low! Consider, however, what might be the potential ramifications, and impacts, when these rates, will, inevitably, rise?</p><p>3. Consumer credit: Low costs of borrowing, help the automobile industry, in terms of consumer financing, etc! Although, not as much as other vehicles, rates on credit card debt, are lower, and there are often, shorter – term, promotions, offering deals! However, since, most of these are variable, and based, on some index, etc, what happens, when there is an increase, in this?</p><p>4. Business borrowing: Another area affected, is business cost of borrowing! Presently, they have had access, to relatively, cheap – money, which helps in reducing the costs of borrowing, overall operations, purchasing inventory, etc. But, what happens, when this, ticks – up?</p><p>5. Impacts on stock market prices: For some time, because bonds have paid so little, in terms of dividends, etc, many have considered, the stock market, the only game, in – town! In addition, many corporations, have seemed, better – off, than they probably are, and we have witnessed, a higher, ratio of prices to profits, than in the past! How long will this last? How high can it go?</p><p>Many factors impact these issues, especially: actual and/ or, perceived inflation; consumer confidence; politics/ government actions/ the Federal Reserve, etc. The more you know, and understand, hopefully, the better – prepared, you will be!</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://gcrplms.info/5-areas-where-interest-rates-matter,html/feed</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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